Position History:
Position established 1926 by act of the General Assembly. First laureate was
James T. Cotton Noe. Prior to 1990, poets were appointed by the General Assembly
to lifetime terms, and several poets held the position simultaneously. In 1990,
new legislation (Kentucky Code, Sec. 153.600) provided for appointment by the
governor to a two-year term. Additional information about the position is available through the Kentucky Arts Council Web site.